Prima BioMed Ltd

Company Background

Australian company Prima BioMed Ltd develops and commercialises technology arising from immunology and cancer immunotherapy.

The company holds commercial rights to technologies developed at the Austin Research Institute (ARI).

Current developments include DCtag, which is a targeting system for vaccines and immunotherapy.
DCtag targets a cancer patient’s immune cells using antigens from the cancer that are conjugated onto 40 nm particles. These activate the patient’s immune cells to recognise and destroy the cancer cells, whilst minimising damage to surrounding tissue and reducing other negative side-effects.

DCtag technology is also used as a vaccine enhancer for protection against infectious diseases. Successful animal trials have been completed on some tumours, such as colon and breast cancers.

DCtag is also proving effective in viral diseases, malaria and veterinary applications, such as foot-and-mouth disease. The technology will enter a phase one clinical trial in cancer patients in late 2005 or early 2006.

Prima has entered commercial arrangements with two universities: Monash and Victoria. International partners include US-based pharmaceuticals companies Medarex and AstraZeneca, and the Pasteur Institute of France.